Page 74 of Embracing Trust

“I…overslept.”

“Overslept?” Patrick’s voice is a few decibels higher, and I pull the phone away from my ear. “You? Normally, you’re up by five.”

I’m quiet. I don’t know what to say and my brother isn’t going to be happy when I tell him I got drunk.

“Ryan?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

I hear my brother sigh into the phone. “Were you drinking?”

I hang my head. “Can I meet them some other time today?”

Although Patrick doesn’t say much, the annoyance in his voice is apparent. He gives me Mr. Bellamy’s number, tells me I better take care of the meeting, and make things right.

I reach Mr. Bellamy and he’s polite and understanding. We arrange to meet at the home at noon. That gives me time to take a shower, eat something, and for medication to dull the headache.

As promised, I meet Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy at the house. We have a productive meeting and I make notes of their concerns and questions. I answer some questions and assure them I will discuss their concerns with Patrick.

By two o’clock, I’m back on the road and headed home. I give Julia a quick call from my truck to let her know I’m on the way. I also call my brother to let him know how the meeting went with the Bellamy’s.

Since I can’t deal with the aftermath of my failure in Blakely Falls, I let my brother know I am going straight to Julia’s and spending the night. At least that will give me some time to get my head straight before I face Patrick.

As I drive to Julia’s house, I rehearse the way I might tell her about Aubree and the pregnancy. Any way I come up with to break the news sounds lame and irresponsible. Julia wants to be able to trust me again. This whole situation is only making the chances of her ever trusting me again seem impossible.

Chapter Thirty-two

Ryan

I stretch out on the beach towel and let the midday sun soak into my skin. Even through the towel, the sand is hot. The sand was much hotter in Afghanistan and there was no time for relaxation. We were there to do a job. This is the most relaxed I’ve been in days. Plus, there’s nothing better than being with Julia.

I turn my head toward her as she lays on her towel next to me with her eyes closed.

I clear my throat. “I was hoping to talk to you.”

She turns to me and opens one eye and chuckles. “Well, here I am.”

“There’s been a lot going on,” I start. “Things didn’t go well on the job.”

Julia rolls to her side and props herself up on her arm. Her eyebrows raise. “What happened?”

I sit up on my towel and Julia does the same. “I’m not sleeping much.”

Her voice is soft. “I know.”

“I had a flashback.” I take a deep breath. “During the workday and I ended up nursing my wounds with a bottle of Jack and a hangover.”

Julia frowns.

If I can’t even share this with her, how am I going to tell her about Aubree?

“I missed an appointment with the homeowners and Patrick wasn’t happy. I need to get back to his house and deal with it. So, I’ll be heading out soon.”

“You have nightmares, don’t you?” Her voice is tender. Caring. I wish I could let it comfort me, but I can’t drag her into this quicksand with me.

My chest tightens. “Yeah.”

“I’ve been doing some reading and—”

---